Murphy cousins close out HOJGA regular season competing together

GALION — The Murphy cousins are relishing their final competitive golf rounds together.

"I love Maura," Maddie Murphy said Monday following the final regular season Heart of Ohio Junior Golf Association tournament at Valley View. "She always plays really, really well, even if she doesn’t believe she’s doing very well. She’ll get upset and I’ll say, ‘Maura, you’re shooting a 73. I don’t know what you’re mad about.’"

Last year, Maura Murphy enjoyed her senior year of high school golf, dominating the area girls scene by going 7-for-7 in summer HOJGA events, then dominating the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference in helping Pleasant to another team title and herself to the league's player of the year honor.

More from HOJGA: Galion's Logan Keller stays perfect during the HOJGA season with his fourth victory

Even more from HOJGA: Pleasant grad Maura Murphy still playing golf, winning tournaments

Right behind her was Maddie, who will be a senior for the Spartans this season.

"I’m kind of nervous because we’re not going to have our two girls (Maura and Dina Shah) who were really, really good, so it’s falling on me, but I think it’s going to be a really fun year. I like the group that is coming up into it," Maddie said.

Maddie is ready to lead

The team's No. 3 golfer two years ago and its No. 2 player last year, Maddie will be counted on to be the team's No. 1 player in 2024, followed by senior Anna Songer and junior Calliope McNulty and some incoming freshmen.

To get ready for the increased responsibility, Maddie has competed all summer in HOJGA events to work on her game.

"I’ve done a lot better than I thought I would," she said. "I’ve improved more than I expected, so that’s really fun. I think golf has gotten more serious because of the thought of Maura and Dina not being there. I think it’s going to be fun, still."

Her older cousin thinks she'll be able to handle it.

"She’s got the positive attitude," Maura said. "If she keeps her mental state and in a good pattern, she’ll excel because she can hit it farther than me. I’ve watched her birdie a bunch of holes out here today. It’s the holes where you don’t have the perfect shot where you’re trying to play course management, I think she can hit those shots. It’s just putting those scores together."

Maddie is using the last of these summer rounds to continue to pick up pointers from Maura

"She always does really, really well," Maddie said. "It’s nice to be able to play with someone who is better than me. It goes a lot faster, and she never gets mad about anything pertaining to the other girls. She’s always very sweet to everybody. She’s great, and I’m going to miss her a lot."

And as Maura heads off to college next month at Notre Dame, she's going to miss Maddie, too.

"It’s been great to watch her grow as a golfer," Maura said.

Monday at Valley View

At the Monday tournament at Valley View, Maura won for the sixth time in seven events this year in the girls 13-to-18 age group, shooting a 1-under-par 71, eagling the par-5 13th hole. Madison Gray was second with an 82, while Maddie was third at 84. Olivia Ross had a 96 and Charlee Brestle a 101 to round out the top five.

The boys 13-to-15 age group needed a playoff to determine the winner as Sam Snyder and Liam Rhea both shot 87s, but Snyder won it on the second hole. Walter Laudeman was third at 88, while Matt Murphy and Jace Haunhorst had 89s to tie for fourth.

In the boys 16-to-18 division, Logan Keller had an even-par 72 to finish off his sweep of the HOJGA events this summer by going 7-for-7 in wins. Hayden Foltz and Henry Terry were runners-up at 77, while Matthew Ralph and Nathan McMullen tied for fourth with 78s. In this division, Nate Richardson hit a rare albatross by scoring a 2 on the par-5 13th hole.

Kolton Crider shot a 43 to edge the 44 by Adam Keller in the 12-and-under nine-hole tournament round. Miri Taylor was third at 50, Cohen Sisler fourth at 63 and Bryce Bollenbaugh fifth at 66.

HOJGA at Kings Mill

Keller shot a 3-under 69 to win the boys 16-to-18 group last week at Kings Mill in Waldo followed by Reynolds with a 72, Ralph with a 73 and Richardson and Kaden Ottley with 75s. In the 13-to-15 group, Snyder had an 80, Bryant Berry 81, Rhea 87 and Laudeman and Owen Prenger 90s. At 12-and-younger, Crider shot a 40 ahead of Keller's 47, Bollenbaugh's 53, Sisler's 55 and 57s by Gracie Curtis, Aiden Issler and Taylor. For the girls, Maura led with a 74, Maddie with an 87, Gray with a 91, Olivia Ross with a 93 and Madelyn Taylor with a 97.

HOJGA at Bucyrus

Keller fired a 2-under-par 70 to win the 16-to-18 division during a July 1 round at the Country Club of Bucyrus. Reynolds was next with a 72 followed by a 76 from Foltz and 79s from Jaxon Jolliff and Dawson Manns. Clay Rogers won the 13-to-15 boys with an 80, while Berry had an 86, Prenger and Rhea 87s and Murphy an 88. Crider won the 12-and-younger group with a 42, and Keller had a 44, Sisler and Keegan Starkey 54s and Nathan Kirkham 55. In the girls division, Maura held off Maddie 81-82, while Ross had a 90, Gray a 91 and Brestle a 95.

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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Murphy cousins close out HOJGA regular season competing together